For students trying to cram for an exam or write a paper, "bennies" and "addies" have become the new candy and coffee.
The amphetamine better known as Adderall has recently become a hot topic due to its widespread misuse by students attempting to combat sleep and focus in an effort to study.
Four Penn faculty members took part in a panel on both the biological effects and ethical implications of the drug yesterday.
Adderall, a medication prescribed to treat patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, can lead to more intense concentration, an increased ability to focus and a concentrated interest in performing mental tasks.
But according to the panel, Adderall is not the "brain steroid" that its reputation may suggest.
"Yes, it keeps you focused and it keeps you awake," Counseling and Psychological Services Director Ilene Rosenstein said. "But it does not and will not help you learn better. We just do not see academic grades being better for those that use or abuse amphetamines."
Adderall also does not assist in converting short-term to long-term memory.
"The only thing that is going to move information from short- to long-term memory is the repetition of that information," Student Disabilities Services Director Matt Tominey said.
In fact, these stimulants may cause more harm than good, often leading to increased blood pressure and heart rate, loss of appetite and, in rare cases, psychosis.
They can also alter personalities, making users much more rigid and lifeless than usual.
Adderall "may make you focus," Rosenstein said. "But you lose your creativity. You lose your spontaneity. And in some schoolwork, you may be worse off."
Still, Psychiatry and Pediatrics professor Tony Rostain said that intermittent use of the drug is most likely not dangerous.
"The truth is, as long as you're not doing it regularly and not doing it under the influence of alcohol, it's probably fine to use to help you focus better," he said. "The only worry is the threat of dependency. That's when it becomes a problem."
Still, experts differ on the advantage amphetamine users have over those students using means such as coffee and soda in order to stay awake.
"There's an explosion of studies now on normal individuals and how they do on normal tasks under the influence of amphetamines," Rostain said. "But we'll know a lot more in a few years about how these agents work."
But Rosenstein says that the real problem is the mindset of today's college students.
"We are in a performance-driven society, and whether you get your kick from your little espresso or Adderall, living on the edge is not enough," she said. "We're always [going] farther and farther."
